I actually had forgotten what I had said about the "Little House" books until recently. But even though "Ma hating Indians" made me feel insecure about my own racial identity, I wouldn't have them censor out Ma's hatred, now. I didn't like it, but it was true sentiment and one that showed how even good people could believe/feel things that weren't right. When I began to witness different kinds of racism--Asians against Blacks, Chinese against Japanese, Asian-Americans against Asians-- that sometimes originated from people I trusted and loved, books like "Little House" set the groundwork for me to realize that what the adults around me thought weren't always the right things to think, especially when it came to things like race.

2 comments:

Dear Ms. Lin, I am working on an encyclopedia-style study of English-language fiction about Taiwan, where I live. I would kill to be able to read the "extras" (deleted chapter + fact vs. fiction background info) for "Dumpling Days." Is there any hope?